The Municipal League of King County

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224

Seattle, WA 98104

(206) 264-1070 cec@munileague.org

2007 Board of Trustees

Bruce Carter, Chair
Judge Pro Tem, Seattle Municipal Court

Robert Klein, Vice-Chair
Short Cressman & Burgess PLLC

Norma Jean Hanson, Secretary
Norma Jean Hanson Paralegal Services

Sandra Driscoll, Treasurer
City Attorney (ret.)

 

Angela Avery, Community Volunteer

Dan Berger, Municipal Attorney

Jill D. Bowman, Stoel Rives LLP

Bill Breitenstein, Financial Executive (ret.)

David Brentlinger, Weyerhaeuser Realty Investors

Steve Call, Cascade Water Alliance

Mary Gates, Consultant

Albert Israel, Mass Mutual Financial Group

Rachel Jackson, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Chris Johnson, Office of the Attorney General, WA State

Mark Koenig, Consultant

Rick Lewis, Intel

Steve Marshall

Eric B. Martin, Davis Wright Tremaine

Bradley Meacham, Microsoft

Dan McDonald, MWH Americas

Kristen Peterson, Washington State Hospital Association

Kathy Putt, Comcast

Ramsey Ramerman, Foster Pepper

R. Todd Slind, CH2MHill

Will Smith, T-Mobile

John Spady, Dick’s Drive-In

Lucy Steers

Gary Strannigan, Safeco

Harold Taniguchi, King County Department of Transportation

Michael Teter, Perkins Coie, LLP

Wes Uhlman, Wes Uhlman & Associates

Jason Van Nort, Puget Sound Energy

Jen Watkins

Rodney G. Wendt, Koegen Edwards LLP

Rich White, Boeing

Nick Williamson, Encrypted Key Technologies

 

2007 CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
FOR NON-JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

The Municipal League of King County requests every candidate who participates in the candidate evaluation process to submit background information prior to his/her interview with a candidate evaluation committee.  The questionnaire is the basis of the League’s research and interview process.  The League’s ratings are non-partisan; they are based on standards of Involvement, Effectiveness, Character, and Knowledge, all of which have been developed and refined over the past 90 years.

 

A printed version of the questionnaire is available for candidates who prefer to use the traditional format.  To obtain a hard copy, please contact the League office.  A copy of this questionnaire will be provided to Candidate Evaluation Committee members to help them prepare for your interview.  Candidate responses, except the confidential section, will be available to the general public at the League website. 

 

The Municipal League requests the following materials from candidates.  Please check to make certain you have sent in your:

 

   Candidate Questionnaire

           Sent by:       Email             US Mail           Fax            Not Sending

   Resume (education, employment, and professional activities)

           Sent by:       Email             US Mail           Fax            Not Sending

             Check here if you DO NOT want your resume posted on the Municipal

                League website

   Campaign Materials

           Sent by:       Email             US Mail           Fax            Not Sending

   Constituent Newsletters and other publications

           Sent by:       Email             US Mail           Fax            Not Sending

   Photograph

           Sent by:       Email             US Mail           Fax            Not Sending

 

Note: Electronically submitted questionnaires are strongly preferred. All materials can be emailed to cec@munileague.org.  They can be processed and made available on-line far more rapidly than handwritten or typed submissions.

 

For non-electronic submissions, please print clearly and legibly and return the application as soon as possible in order to allow the committee the greatest amount of time to prepare a complete report on your skills and experience.

We request that you return the Candidate Questionnaire

by June 22, 2007

 

If you have not yet been contacted to schedule an interview, or if you have questions about the candidate evaluation program, please contact the League office at 206-264-1070.

 

If you have a disability and require accommodation to participate in the candidate evaluation process, please contact the CEC Coordinator at the League office.

 


2007 Candidate Questionnaire

 

SECTION I               

 

BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION

 

1.      Name as it will appear on the ballot

 

First Name

Middle Initial or Nick Name

Last Name

Lauren

V.

Briel

 

2.   Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):

 

Seattle City Council Position 1

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes              No

 

 

4.   How long have you resided in this district/city?

 

4+ years

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

4+ years

 

6.   Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan?         Partisan      Nonpartisan         

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:       

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

Community for Briel

 

Address:

 

24 Roy St #243

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Seattle, WA 98109

 

Campaign Phone:

 

206-279-3385

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

n/a

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

yes@votelaurenbriel.com

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

www.votelaurenbriel.com

 

 

POLITICAL BACKGROUND

 

1.   Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices which you have held.  Include positions on appointive Boards or Commissions.

 

Public Office

Elective or Appointive?

Dates Held

Leadership Role (if any)

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 

2.   If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:

 

Office Title

Year of Run

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 


 SECTION III

 

In this section, we are seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge.  These are defined as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.      In a page or less, why are you running for this office?  (Note: the interview committee will be given a copy of this statement before your interview; at the beginning of your interview you will have the opportunity to expand on this statement in any way you wish.)

 

I am running for this office because the City Council needs hard-working people who can competently analyze difficult problems and make a decision that is best for the community and city as a whole.  We need to look at and address our problems of today while also sustainably planning for the changing city of the future. I have the energy and skills to bring leadership and accountability to our city.  I am passionate about the issues that face our city and have proven I have the tenacity to get things done.

 

We need to get people and goods moving. Without comprehensive transportation alternatives, gridlock engulfs our city and threatens our regional economy. When given an opportunity to lead, this Council has ducked out or punted issues back to the voters. This city can't afford to stand by and let the future happen. This city doesn't need more expansive costly projects that fail to address the real issues: we need an integrated transportation system. This includes twenty-four hour public transportation, safe bike and pedestrian routes as well as safe well-maintained roads.

 

Seattle's housing needs to be affordable and available. The city has become too expensive for many first time homebuyers while many would-be renters are unable to find safe and healthy living choices.  This development pattern forces many people that work and otherwise think of Seattle as their home to live elsewhere. I have seen first hand the burden this places on individuals, our infrastructure and our quality of life. This problem is not one that will be solved by building more affordable housing units for the very low income. Housing affordability must be addressed for all levels of income. There are several ways to address this: offer first home buyer incentives and programs, crack down on landlords that have unsafe living conditions or promote new development that targets all levels of affordability. Our diversity is what makes Seattle a great place to live; it is important to find real solutions to this problem before too many more Seattleites are forced to move beyond the city limits.

 

Seattle’s parks should be safe and usable and accessible. Our parks system is one of Seattle’s most cherished assets. Yet issues with public safety and disrepair keep our citizens from fully utilizing these resources. We are a city who builds our reputation on an active lifestyle; improvements need to be made so we are able to enjoy our community parks with confidence and a sense of security while preserving the open spaces still available as we develop and grow.

 


 

2.      Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.

 

An essential part of who I am is the ability to have the people around me enjoy life while still engaged in intellectual thoughts and discussions; it is imperative that the city begins to move forward on important decisions, and that as a whole the Council has an active and personable engagement with the community and with each other.  I have the ability to make that interaction a reality.

To set good policies, the City Council needs to have the ability to speak openly and respectfully to many different groups of people with many different backgrounds and interests.  In every walk of life I have had the ability to listen and openly discuss issues with many different people and then present their ideas to the benefit of a group.

I approach everything I do with a strong work ethic and am willing to do the job of several to make sure the job is done correctly; being on the City Council is not a job that is a title, it is a job that needs hard work and long hours to really make an effective difference..

 

 

3.      Please describe in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are most proud.  These examples should illustrate effective skills and capabilities you think apply to the office you are seeking.  These accomplishments may have occurred at any time in your personal, professional, or public life. 

 

I am very proud to have graduated from Virginia Tech in four years with two degrees while maintaining an extremely active engagement in extracurricular activities including an appointed volunteer tour guide for four years, a four-year volunteer for the Virginia Tech Union, various Chair positions for the Gamma Beta Phi honor society, and a term as the Student Planning Association president.  It was in my four years at Tech that I learned how to maintain a busy, intellectual, and balanced life while still having fun.  I was associated with many different student body groups and I was fortunate enough to have the ability to interact with the groups and bring to them the same level of dedicated passion and respect with which I treat everyone.  I learned how to balance hard work and a good life while getting involved enough to make a difference; one of the most valuable lessons I have learned.  In office, you need to have the energy and passion to not only attend regular office hours and meetings, but to be involved above and beyond 5pm to work with the community - an opportunity I look forward to.

I am also extremely lucky to have been involved in the build-out of the Park City venues for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.  I worked with the architects, engineers, builders, construction management and Park City planning department leading up to the Games.  During the Games I worked at Utah Olympic Park and was the security contact for Venue Development, one of the venue safety wardens, and a liaison for Venue Development to the rest of the departments at the Park.  An essential part of my job (before, after, and during the Games) was to not only correctly do my job, but to pitch in and assist others to accomplish our overall goal: the successful competition and enjoyment of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.  We accomplished our goal through hard work, team work, and commitment to succeed.


 

4.      Please list or describe your current and past activities in the community in which you have acquired skills that relate to the office you seek.  Include your role in the activity and the year(s) in which you were involved.  Involvement consists of many areas such as family, neighborhood, community, employment, or public life.

 

I go above and beyond the standard to make the community around me better through passion, dedication, and tenacity.  In each of my communities (work, family, etc) I am a reliable source of assistance and inspiration with a smile.  In my current job I witness the power of collaboration; Urban Mobility Group succeeds because it is a partnership.  The Council needs to create an environment that promotes collaboration amongst its communities to move forward on decisions that impact them locally..

In past activities, I have voluntarily stepped forward to take leadership positions: 1999-Environmental Chair of Gamma Beta Phi honor society, 2000/2001-Fundraising Chair of Gamma Beta Phi honor society, 2000/2001 President of the Virginia Tech Student Planning Association, 2001/2002 Utah Olympic Park Safety Warden, 2003/2004 Membership Chair of Seattle Women's Sailing Association.  In each of these roles I have organized people to successfully work towards a greater good.  This type of passion is needed at the City Council for the Council to function as a unit with a distinctive and successful voice.

 

 

  1. Please describe the duties of the office you seek.  Which are the most important duties and why?

 

The duties of a city councilmember range from budgetary to policy making and everything in between.  The most important duty is to have a vision for the city of Seattle's future.  I have a vision that includes more transportation choices, more affordable and healthy places for our residents to live and safer and more accessible parks.  In my role as budgetary watchdog I will be weighing the needs of the community with the ever tightening tax base.  Only when appropriate will I ask the community to contribute more funds for better services.  In my role as policy maker I will focus on the most important needs of the city first and tackle them head on.  Lastly, I believe it the role of the city council to bring people into government and give them a voice for change.  If given the opportunity to represent the city of Seattle I will be an approachable and effective policy maker for all residents.


EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

 

The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and/or on our website.  It includes a summary of the candidate’s education.  Please summarize your education in 120 characters (letters, punctuation, and space all combined).  The League will delete material that exceeds the space limit by beginning with the last entry.  Suggested order is (degree) (subject) (school) (year, if desired). 

 

Note: If this question is left blank the League will not include education information in your candidate profile.

 

BS, Environmental Policy and Planning, Virginia Tech, 2001

BA, International Studies, Virginia Tech, 2001

 

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

 

The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report also includes a summary of each candidate’s civic involvement.  Please summarize your civic involvement in the space below.  We will make every attempt to include the information in the Candidate Evaluation Report as submitted.  Due to space restrictions in the Report, your response is limited to 500 characters (letters, punctuation, and spaces all combined).  It is important that you list your involvement beginning with the most important and ending with the least important.  If you exceed the length of response permitted, or if the League should find it necessary to shorten responses for publication purposes, deletions will be made beginning with the last item listed. 

 

Note: This information will appear verbatim on the League’s Candidate Evaluation Report.  If this question is left blank, the Municipal League will not include information on your civic involvement in the Report.

 

  Check here if you would like the Municipal League to copy the first 500 characters from Question 4 to paste into this section.

 

     

 

Finished!

If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (cec@munileague.org).  Mail and fax numbers are listed below.  If the League has not contacted you to schedule an interview, please call the League office at your earliest convenience.

 

Don’t forget to send the following to the Municipal League:  a resume, a photo, campaign literature, and, if you are an incumbent, constituent newsletters and other materials.  Please use the check-off list on the cover sheet of this packet to indicate which items you have sent.

 

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND GOOD LUCK IN YOUR CAMPAIGN!

 

THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE OF KING COUNTY

 

Candidate Evaluation Coordinator:  Jason Thibedeau

 

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224                 Phone: (206) 264-1070                      Email: cec@munileague.org

Seattle, WA 98104-1614                        Fax: (425) 671-0506                     Website: www.munileague.org